I was talking with some people about banishing last night, and how I didn't really care for the star ruby as it places certain deities into quarters whose main attributes are based in their position. Hadit for example is the point which is everywhere and in the hearts ofmen and stars, to then go on and say "well actually, he's over in the south" is quite contrary to how I envision him.

I came up with this ritual today, its based almost entirely on LIBER AL. The only external element is "Babalon", which I prefer to say instead of "Scarlet Woman", but if you wanted to be a purest, you could make the substitution.

Let me know what you think, its pretty simple, but to me seems rather moving. Several things I'm considering changing are: 1. "The Earth", it would be better to have a name, but the book of the law treats the Earth as though it is a deity. 2. The wording about "neither any other power", I don't want to have to change quotes from the book much, but this could be phrased better, I'll practice and see how it feels. 3. The opening/closing could havea bit more meat, but I like the simplicity of just ABRAHADABRA, the word that begins and ends the 3rd chapter.

(The ritualist is Ankh-af-na-khonsu, The Beast, The priest of the princes.)

ABRAHADABRA

(At each quarter draw the hieroglyph of the deity and vibrate its name.)

(To the east) Ra(To the south) Ahathoor(To the west) Tum(To the north) Kephra

About me shines the lambent flame of blue, all-touching, all penetrantWithin my heart burns the winged serpent’s secret flameThis red flame is a sword in my handAnd I fear not at all, neither any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth.Nu is my refuge as Hadit my light; and Ra-Hoor-Khu is the strength, force, vigour, of my arms.

So, I'm almost done with a single chapter of my loagaeth book, would anybody like review it for me? I feel that my writing technique could be vastly improved, so before I close the seal again, I'd like feedback on things like style, readability, flow, etc. I'd also like a sanity check, ie does it make sense can other people other than myself understand it? Or perhaps people might have suggestions on how to make it more accessible.

Any volunteers? I've already got some people in mind, some I've already talked to, but I'm just seeing if anybody else might be interested. You don't need any special qualifications, but a tolerance for gematria might actually let you get through the whole thing. I'd really appreciate any help I could get on this.

Why is the number nine associated with the moon? I'm looking for natural answers or for older primary sources. After talking with some O.T.O. people I've only got two viable answers which are fairly questionable.

The most natural explanation is that the human gestation period is nine moon cycles long. The average gestational period is 41 weeks, and as it takes the moon 29.53 days to go through all its cycles, this is about 9 moon cycles and 3 weeks. Considering one would naturally count from the last missed period, this is a fairly acceptable answer.

The second is that Agrippa says that the magic square of luna is 9x9. It is impossible to make a magic square of 1x1 or 2x2 (well really only 2x2), so we have to start at 3x3. Going down the traditional planetary list makes sense and that puts luna at 9x9. This is not a very satisfactory answer.

The most common instinct is to say that nine is associated with Luna as the sphere of luna is associated with yesod, the ninth emanation. I have found no evidence to support this other than Agrippa's "The Scale of the Number ten" where in the column of "Ten spheres of the world." the moon is the ninth. The sepher yetzirah doesn't support this, assigning the moon to the letter tav. In fact in the only version of the sepher yetzirah that attributes planets to the sephirot, luna is on malkuth!

Crowley and others are little help, basically having accepted this as a fact with apparently no reasoning, as is quite usual of the GD teachings.

I'm pretty much done with Live Journal. The people who owned this site sold it a long while back and it keeps getting more annoying, adds and various things that I really don't want to have to put up with. RSS has also matured to the point where there is no reason people can't use it on a regular basis, there are just too many different blog techs out there and this makes it so there is only one place to check for updates.

I've started a new blog at http://www.keepsilence.org/blog/ I'm currently working on writing commentary to LIBER AL. I'm putting my current understanding of the lines down so I can compare later. Its also interesting to consider each line one at a time, do some research, come up with new meanings and examine the merits of each.

For a long time, I've tried to reconcile the Rainbow layer of the Loagaeth Circle with the Walls of the Sacred temple in the mandalas. The answer was right there, the buddhist's rainbow only has five colors. The cakrasambhara-tantra teaches that the walls of a mandala should be painted in these five colours.

This also leads into interesting comparisons of the rainbow of the magus to the powers of the rainbow body (also known as the body of light) of the buddhists.

These Bodhisattvas, from the realms of substances, non-substances, and non-thoughts, by the aid of Samadhi Power, had produced the Wisdom Fire, which burnt off their substances, desires, and non-brightness, and transmuted what they had relied on. They had tfore achieved the Wisdom Concentration, and attained Mind-Created Bodies, which are adorned by mighty supernatural powers. Such bodies are free of any interspaces, bones, or substances, they are like the sun and the moon, like rainbows, electricity, finest gold, luminous pearls, Sphatikas, Pravadas, Hridaras, Campakas, Pavonine Flowers and Moons, and the images from mirrors.

Such Bodhisattvas, by virtue of cultivating the causes of non-leaking when they were staying in various stages, had achieved Self-Mastery through Samadhi. They had been practicing the ten endless vows and transferred their merits, so that they attained such specially supreme bodies and are able to arrive this Secret Sublime World.

At the seed of the sun is the dark one.Dark, because He emits all light but does not emit himself (from himself),The true form of the phoenix, the self which is beyond death,That which is there in the ashes as well as in the flames.

Contemplating the Crowley's vision of the Rose and the amphitheater of judgement in respect to the process of nomination of the 5th degree, "The Sovereign Prince Rose-Croix".

The Cry of the 15th Aethyr, Which is Called OXO(The Rose of Earth on the Place of Judgment; this is the scene of the Aire.)

There appears immediately in the Aethyr a tremendous column of scarlet fire, whirling forth, rebounding, crying aloud. And about it are four columns of green and blue and gold and silver, each inscribed with writings in the character of the dagger. And the column of fire is dancing among the pillars. Now it seems that the fire is but the skirt of the dancer, and the dancer is a mighty god. The vision is overpowering.

As the dancer whirls, she chants in a strange, slow voice, quickening as she goes: Lo! I gather up every spirit that is pure, and weave him into my vesture of flame. I lick up the lives of men, and their souls sparkle from mine eyes. I am the mighty sorceress, the lust of the spirit. And by my dancing I gather for my mother Nuit the heads of all them that are baptized in the waters of life. I am the lust of the spirit that eateth up the soul of man. I have prepared a feast for the adepts, and they that partake thereof shall see God.

Now it is clear what she has woven in her dance; it is the Crimson Rose of 49 Petals, and the Pillars are the Cross with which it is conjoined. And between the pillars shoot out rays of pure green fire; and now all the pillars are golden. She ceases to dance, and dwindles, gathering herself into the centre of the Rose.

...

And the bee said unto the flower: "Give me of thine honey," and the flower gave richly thereof; but the bee, though he wit it not, carried the seed of the flower into many fields of sun. So also are they that take unto themselves the Masters of the Pyramid for servants.